Retrofit Wifi Control of Lights to Control with Phone

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networkn

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#303080 15-Jan-2023 12:32

Hi.

We have LED's which are dimmable in our lounge. On the lounge side it's a single switch with a dimmer, on the other side, is another control for the same light, plus 3 others. You can only use the dimmer if the outside light switch is in the correct state.

I'd like to introduce something that would allow me to turn on and off the lights, and dim them, ideally, without replacing all the switches (and I want to keep the existing LED's).

What are the current options around this or does anyone have any recommendations on how I can achieve that? I am prepared, if absolutely required, to replace the switches, though then it will cause all the other switches downstairs to look different.

Would be useful if it could integrate with Alexa.

Cheers

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#3021636 15-Jan-2023 14:26

If you can find a way to get access to the wiring from the switch to the lights, maybe these might work?

https://sonoff.tech/product/diy-smart-switches/rfr2/

From their web site

Release your hands to simplify daily routines. Works with Alexa & Google Home to make you control the device connected with RFR2 through your voice.

Ge0rge

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#3021638 15-Jan-2023 14:49

I use a Shelly Dimmer to achieve that in our lounge.

networkn

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#3021641 15-Jan-2023 15:02

Ge0rge: I use a Shelly Dimmer to achieve that in our lounge.

Would you mind linking me to the product you are using specifically?

When I looked a this last time, there was something about the Shelly that wasn't ideal, but I can't recall what it was.

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#3021642 15-Jan-2023 15:09

https://www.shelly.cloud/en/products/shop/shelly-dimmer2

I have several around the house. I control them using mqtt via home assistant, but their native app works fine for control too.

networkn

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#3021643 15-Jan-2023 15:15

Ge0rge: https://www.shelly.cloud/en/products/shop/shelly-dimmer2

I have several around the house. I control them using mqtt via home assistant, but their native app works fine for control too.

Are they NZ Certified? I don't want to run foul of our insurance company if things go sideways :)

eonsim

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#3021652 15-Jan-2023 15:30

Most of them appear to be:

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=73&topicid=272374&page_no=27#3019984

There are links to the AU certification authorities in that post which you can search for more details.

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#3021653 15-Jan-2023 15:31

Have a look here.

mattenz

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#3021683 15-Jan-2023 17:44

networkn:

Ge0rge: https://www.shelly.cloud/en/products/shop/shelly-dimmer2

I have several around the house. I control them using mqtt via home assistant, but their native app works fine for control too.

Are they NZ Certified? I don't want to run foul of our insurance company if things go sideways :)

Shelly is, Sonoff not so much.

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#3021684 15-Jan-2023 17:54

+1 for Shelly Dimmer 2. New Zealand SDOC, easy to get hold of, rock solid, integrates with Home Assistant. Pair it with a momentary switch for dimming from the wall switch.

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#3021690 15-Jan-2023 18:01

It reads lik you have a 3 way circuit where you have two switches that control one light?

If so it’s a bit of a pain to deal with.

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#3021696 15-Jan-2023 18:51

Handle9: It reads lik you have a 3 way circuit where you have two switches that control one light?

If so it’s a bit of a pain to deal with.

I have that in one room, it's not a problem. It's as simple as instead of the switches working the light, they work the Shelly instead, and the Shelly does the light. Took all of five minutes to change.

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#3021743 16-Jan-2023 00:25

Ge0rge:
Handle9: It reads lik you have a 3 way circuit where you have two switches that control one light?

If so it’s a bit of a pain to deal with.

I have that in one room, it's not a problem. It's as simple as instead of the switches working the light, they work the Shelly instead, and the Shelly does the light. Took all of five minutes to change.

Does that mean you can only control the lights with the phone? I don't want that, I want to add functionality.

Is it now the Shelly 2.5 I want?

Handle9

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#3021744 16-Jan-2023 01:12

The Shelley has switch inputs. Instead of the light switches switching the lights on and off they switch the relay instead. From an end user perspective switching is the same.

I haven’t played with the dimmer relays but the existing dimmer becomes obsolete and you control dimming via the app or Alexa

Three way switching is when you have two light switches controlling one light circuit. It’s usually used on stairs or in hallways.

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#3023450 19-Jan-2023 00:41

Wife approval would significantly improve if there is a way to do this and still have control of the lights (including dimming) manually too.

Wondering if I should just bite the bullet and replace the faceplates, though I haven't seen any I thought looked attractive enough.

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#3023582 19-Jan-2023 10:38

Hi,

So I currently use a Shelly Dimmer to drive my dimmable lounge lights. These lights were originally on a 2-way circuit with a dimmer on one end (the downside being you could only set the dimming at one light switch). The current state is the lights are now driven by the Shelly dimmer relay and this in turn is either controlled by Homekit or the physical press of the light switch. The physical dimmer is no longer needed and I can dim and switch off the lights from either switch. I have programmed the Shelly relay to dim the lights by holding the light switch down and switching on and off by pressing and releasing the light switches. To avoid the buttons maintaining physical state I swapped the switches to bell presses. The existing 2-way wiring was used to connect the second remote switch to the relay.

Rich

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